We bake this nectarine upside-down cake in a 2 quart covered baking
dish.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Or, for a quickie method, this nectarine
upside-down cake can be baked in a microwave oven in only 10 minutes at
1000 watts.

Begin the recipe by placing the whole wheat or spelt flour in a mixing bowl.
Place the oatmeal in the container of a blender and run it at high speed until
the oatmeal is finely chopped, and add to the mixing bowl.

Add the carob, baking powder and cinnamon and mix well.

(If you "fresh-grind" your grain, as we do, the grains and rolled oats can be
ground at the same time in the Vita-Mix dry container. In this case, add the
carob, baking powder and cinnamon after the flour has cooled.)

Wash and cut the ripe nectarines into pieces or wedges, or thaw the frozen
nectarine pieces, and place the cut fruit in the bottom of the baking dish along
with any liquid from the fruit.

Place the peeled bananas and the pitted dates into the regular blender
container; cover, and blend at high speed until the mixture is smooth.

Add the banana-date mixture to the flour mixture and mix well. If the
ingredients are too stiff, add a little apple juice, but don't let the
dough become runny. It should be slightly on the stiff side.

Immediately, pour/spoon the muffin dough into the baking dish on top of the
nectarine pieces. Cover the baking dish, and place the cake in the
preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes. When the cake is done, the cake
will be springy to the touch without leaving a fingerprint depression on the
surface.

If baking in the microwave oven, cook on high until the cake is springy to
the touch. As an example, the muffin cake shown in the photo, took only ten
minutes to bake at 1000 watts.

Allow the nectarine upside-down cake to cool on a wire rack with the
cover on the baking dish to retain the moisture and keep the cake moist.

When the baking dish has cooled to the touch, remove the cover. Using a
table knife, gently loosen the cake from the sides of the baking dish,
and place a large dinner or cake plate upside down over the baking dish.
Hold the plate and baking dish tightly together, and invert so that the baking
dish is on top of the plate. The cake should gently fall onto the plate.
If the cake is sticking to the bottom, slide the plate to the edge of the
counter, and lift one side of the baking dish just enough to allow the table
knife to be slipped up between the cake and dish and gently nudge the cake until
it falls onto the place. Slice as desired. (To enlarge the photo of theNectarine Carob Upside-Down Cake, click on the photo or link)

Serve hot or cold, and enjoy. Store any left over cake in a covered
container in the refrigerator to prevent it from drying out.

The above recipe is in keeping with God's creation intent (Genesis 1:29-31):
'Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth
and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to
all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move
on the ground-- everything that has the breath of life in it-- I give every green plant
for food." And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very
good.' (NIV) Let no animal suffer or die that we may live!